Trimming My Stash - November And December 2020 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews, And A 2020 Round Up*

 Right, after another rubbish couple of weeks in LouLouLand, it's time for another ridiculously late catch up post, and no, it isn't an unboxing post (I thought I'd try and split them up a bit), instead it's an empties post, and in a desperate attempt to try and get myself back up to date with at least something, I'm combining a couple of months, and my yearly round up into 1 epic post.

First up, let's take a trip back a few months to November 2020...

Gatineau Floracil Plus Gentle Waterproof Eye Make Up Remover - 118ml
AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Conditioner - 250ml
AVON ANEW Clean Anti-Ageing 3 In 1 Cleansing Water - 200ml
Cussons Carex Moisture Derma Care Antibacterial Hand Wash - 250ml
The Body Shop Spiced Apple Body Butter - 50ml
Elemis Spa @ Home Body Exotics Jasmine And Rose Hand And Nail Cream - 20ml
Neutrogena Pure Glow Daily Cleansing Cushions - 22 x Dual Textured Cushions
The Body Shop Juicy Pear Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 250ml
Total - 8 Items

Trimming my stash wise, November was a pretty good month. I didn't manage to finish anything too exciting but I did manage to finish a nice variety of skin, hair, and body care items, including one pretty embarrassing, old, product.

1. Gatineau Floracil Plus Gentle Waterproof Eye Make Up Remover - 118ml

No doubt you will have heard the saying 'if it isn't broke, don't fix it', well in the case of this particular product, no truer words have ever been spoken.

Although it ranks fairly high in the spendy stakes, the original Gatineau Floracil Gentle Eye Make Up Remover, in my opinion is worth every penny. I don't buy it that often now but it does exactly what it promises. It removes make up with ease, and it doesn't cause any dryness, stinging or irritation.

In simple terms if something works why change it? Well thankfully Gatineau didn't change or discontinue the original, but instead they released this,.. this imposter, Floracil Plus!

Containing good for you ingredients such as aloe vera, witch hazel, and vitamins, Floracil Plus was actually introduced to help tackle a new generation of waterproof, and long wear mascaras, and apparently like the original it allegedly suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

I will admit that my eyes can be quite dry and quite sensitive, but this stuff make them sting like crazy, it left them feeling really greasy, and I personally didn't find it anywhere near as effective as the original.

As I say I'm just super grateful that they didn't discontinue the original, and I don't think that I'm alone in that viewpoint because this particular remover is now quite hard to find. It doesn't seem to be available direct from Gatineau now, and I can only find it in a few sets on the QVC UK website, and on Fragrance Direct who also sell it in a duo with the original for £16.95, and on it's also available on its own for £11.50, but in my opinion, skip it and buy the original instead x 

2. AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Conditioner - 250ml

Next up the first of 2 AVON products in November's list, and it's a hair product. I'm coming to the end of my Anti Hair Fall stash now, and whilst I really do like some of the products that replaced it, I think I will always have a soft spot for the products in the range.

Containing keratin, bamboo extract, arginine, and peppermint extract, it conditioned the hair without leaving it greasy or heavy, it had a gorgeous fruity, with a hint of mint scent, and I really think that it made a huge difference to my hair.

3. AVON ANEW Clean Anti-Ageing 3 In 1 Cleansing Water - 200ml

The next item on November's list is another AVON product, and it looks as though it's something else that has either been discontinued or reformulated. This was another one of those products that I'd always intended to review properly but as per usual I never got round to it, so here is a little summary x

I did actually repurchase this a couple of times, so to put it simply it was obviously pretty decent. It was basically a micellar or cleansing water. It has a very subtle fragrance, it felt slightly tingly on the eyes, but it was fine on the rest of my face, and it removed dirt and make up, without leaving my skin dry or tight. It did leave my skin slightly sticky but overall it was pretty good.

I don't use micellar or cleansing waters as much as I used (I trying to get better with my skincare), but I potentially would have bought this one again, but unfortunately I can't find either on the AVON website, or in the latest book. The nearest thing that I can find is the ANEW Revitalising Micellar Water which retails at £6 and is something that I might try in the future.

4. Cussons Carex Moisture Derma Care Antibacterial Hand Wash - 250ml

Next up something that was like gold dust in 2020, and no I don't mean toilet paper! I'm referring to hand wash! I've used quite a few different hand washes from Carex over the last few months, but it was this rather boring sounding one that's actually become my must have.

Off white in colour, and rather suggestive in appearance, this moisturising hand wash has a gorgeous fruity scent, and despite all of its antibacterial and cleansing properties, you could really feel the slickness and the moisture on your skin.

This is the eco refill bottle which comes with a screw off cap, meaning you can save on packaging be reusing your pumps. This particular variant comes in various sizes and usually retails between £1 - £2.50 from various retailers including Boots, Superdrug, Poundland, Tesco, Wilko, Asda, and Sainsbury's.

5. The Body Shop Spiced Apple Body Butter - 50ml

Usually I try to switch up my body and shower products with the seasons, but in 2020 my usual habits seemed to fly out of the window, and I indulged in some festive scents even in the height of summer. I didn't manage to pick up anything from The Body Shop's 2020 festive range so I'm still going to be using up pieces from years gone by.

Spiced Apple was one of their offerings from around 2016 / 2017, and seeing as I love the scents of orchard fruits, I stocked up on some of my favourite products which I'm still using to this day. In The Body Shop's signature body butter formulation with both shea and cocoa butters, this particular one had a lovely warm cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and crisp baked apple scent, that smelled almost good enough to eat - definitely one of my favourite ever festive scents from The Body Shop.

6. Elemis Spa @ Home Body Exotics Jasmine And Rose Hand And Nail Cream - 20ml

This next product is the first of 3 hand creams that feature in this post, and it's the first of 2 from British spa brand, Elemis. I believe that this travel sized hand cream must have came in one of their special Christmas Today's Special Value kits on QVC UK, as it's now almost impossible to find.

From their Body Exotics range, this hand cream contained a whole load of natural extracts and ingredients, including sunflower oil, again oil, jasmine and lotus flower extract, as well as ylang ylang, rose, chamomile, and sandalwood oils. It had an almost velvety texture, and it smelled beautiful with an almost spicy rose scent, with jasmine and white flower undertones.

I really loved this hand cream, and I would definitely consider repurchasing it, if I could find it.

7. Neutrogena Pure Glow Daily Cleansing Cushions - 22 x Dual Textured Cushions

Okay, the least said about this next product the better really. I talked about these in more depth in my July 2020 empties post, but to put it simply these cleansing pads were probably one of the oldest beauty products in my stash and whilst I am now free from the embarrassment of owning and using something so old, in a way I'm still going to mourn their loss because as product I really did like them, and I'm still a bit said that they were discontinued however many years ago that was.

8. The Body Shop Juicy Pear Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 250ml

The final empty from November was another limited edition Christmas item from The Body Shop, and this time it was a products from their 2019 range.

As I say I love the crisp sweet, yet tart scent of orchard fruits, and their mouthwatering Juicy Pear range was right up my street, and of course you know how much I love a good sugar scrub.

I really thought that I had another one of these in my stash but at the moment I can't seem to find it, so if this was my last pot, I'll definitely miss it, and like so many festive scents from The Body Shop, I'll keep my fingers crossed for its return.

So they were my November empties, a nice mix of bits, and a good 8 items to add to my yearly total. Alas I didn't quite manage to hit the same heights in December, but I still managed to finish a very respectable total of 7 items.

Elemis Body Exotics White Lotus & Lime Hand & Nail Cream - 20ml
Read My Lips Every Day I'm Brusselin' Moisturising Sheet Mask - 1 x 20ml Mask
Que Bella Professional Recharge & Restore Purple Moonstone Glitter Gel Mask - 15g
Benefit Gimme Brow Brow Volumising Fibre Gel - 3 - 3g
Marc Jacobs Daisy Velvet Body Butter - 140g
Leighton Denny Intense Manicure Oil - 12ml
Bio Glow Nature Inspired Hand Creme Rose - 60ml

Total - 7 Items 

Again I managed to finish a good mix of products including a few old and long standing items, some newer things, and even a make up item!

1. Elemis Body Exotics White Lotus & Lime Hand & Nail Cream - 20ml

First up a hand cream, and it's another limited edition from Elemis. I believe that this one also came in one of their QVC UK TSV's and I think that this one was possibly from 2016.

Containing shea butter, and macadamia oil, as well as bitter and sweet orange, patchouli, white lotus, thyme, and lemon and lime extracts. Again this hand cream had a lovely rich velvety feel. It had a very green, herbal scent, with only a tiny hint of recognisable citrus. It was a very unisex type scent.

Unfortunately as I say this was another limited edition product, and it's now almost impossible to find.

2. Read My Lips Every Day I'm Brusselin' Moisturising Sheet Mask - 1 x 20ml Mask

Next, up the first of 2 face masks in this post, and this particular product was my Christmas Eve beauty treat. I bought this particular mask from Boots' Read My Lips stocking filler range, which contained things like Brussel sprout lip balm, and pigs in blankets post notes and bath bombs.

The humble Brussel sprout gets a lot of stick but personally I love them, honestly try them roasted or in stir fry if you're not keen, and I promise you will become a convert!

Alas this fibre sheet mask doesn't actually seem to contain Brussel sprouts but it does contain a whole load of other plant extracts and botanicals. The mask itself was white in colour and featured a festive green cartoon sprout design. It was a good quality mask and it didn't rip or tear, and it had a lovely fruity, berry scent.

It was very wet to the touch, and it felt very cooling and refreshing on the skin. I left it on for about 15 minutes, and after peeling it off, my skin still felt quite wet. Unusually the instructions said to wash away the excess liquid, but after rinsing my skin and drying my face, my skin both looked and felt nice and refreshed and hydrated.

For a so called novelty product I was actually pretty impressed with this mask, it was fun, it felt nice on the skin, and it had a lovely scent.

Alas this seems to be another product that will be pretty much impossible to find, but you can find out more about the brand here x 

3. Que Bella Professional Recharge & Restore Purple Moonstone Glitter Gel Mask - 15g

From one mask to another, and to be fair mentioning this one in this post is a little bit of a cop out! This face mask actually came in the November 2020 edition of Glossybox UK, so unfortunately you'll have to wait just a little bit longer to read the unboxing post which should hopefully be within the next week to find out my thoughts on this face mask. In the meantime though you can buy it exclusively in the UK from Amazon where it retails at £2.49.

4. Benefit Gimme Brow Brow Volumising Fibre Gel - 3 - 3g

Make up items were very thin on the ground in my 2020 Trimming My Stash posts, so I was extra pleased to finish one in the last month of the year. 

Whenever you see any pictures of my eyes or my whole face, either on my blog, my Facebook, my Instagram or my Twitter, 9 times out of 10, this is the brow product that I'm wearing.

I love all of the brow products in the Benefit Cosmetics range but this one really is my go to, and I actually own it in a few different shades depending on my hair colour at the time, and the look that I'm going for.

This is shade 3 which is medium / neutral light brown, and this is my everyday subtle shade. Super quick and easy to use, Gimme Brow adds colour and volume to the brows, and it helps to tame down the hairs, fill on the odd gap and cover the odd grey hair.

I love it, it's the perfect brow product if you're time poor, another bonus is that you don't need a lot of skill to apply it and it lasts for ages both on the brows and despite the size, in the tube too. 

This full 3g size comes in 10 shades and retails at around £22.50 from various retailers including direct from Benefit Cosmetics, John Lewis, Boots, House Of Fraser, Look Fantastic, Feel Unique and ASOS. 

5. Marc Jacobs Daisy Velvet Body Butter - 140g

The next item on December's list was another slightly embarrassing, super old product, and this time it isn't a skin care item it's actually a body product.

Let's be honest, like most people I was probably first drawn to Marc Jacobs Daisy because of the bottle design. I love hippy, dippy looking daisies and thankfully I also love the fragrance with it's fruity, floral violet notes.

Although this was actually called a body butter, for me it had more of a rich body cream texture, with the bright and breezy daisy scent, and just a touch of shimmer. This tub looks a little battered and faded now but it was well loved, and it smelled amazing until the very end.

I think this particular product has unfortunately been discontinued now but you can still get something called Luminous Body Lotion, in a few different Daisy gift sets.

6. Leighton Denny Intense Manicure Oil - 12ml

It's funny how your buying habits change; When it was available on QVC UK, I used to be a regular buyer of Leighton Denny's nail polishes and treatments, but once they left the channel, I moved on and I pretty much stopped buying from the range, which on reflection is a real shame when you consider how good products like this actually are.

Basically this is a manicure oil that can be used as both an intensive hand moisturiser, and as a cuticle product. Containing a blend of 4 skin softening oils - sweet almond, wheatgerm, avocado, and olive, and 5 essential oils - lavender, chamomile, geranium, cedar and bergamot, this oil didn't just smell beautiful, it was also a real moisturising treat for the hands and nails.

This particular size no longer seems to be available but you can buy a 50ml size from £22 direct from Leighton Denny x 

7. Bio Glow Nature Inspired Hand Creme Rose - 60ml

The final beauty product that I finished in 2020 was another hand and nail product, and it was another hand cream. I picked this one up on a whim in Poundland and do you know what? For the £1 price tag it wasn't half bad. 

Both cruelty free and vegan friendly, it contains shea butter, jojoba oil, vitamin E, and rosemary extract. It has a nice rich and creamy texture, and it absorbed well in to the skin, especially when used alongside a pair of cotton gloves at bedtime. The scent was a touch old fashioned rose but for just £1, it was a decent buy. If you fancy trying it for yourself, as well as Poundland, you can also find it at Fragrance Direct, The Range, B&M and Savers.

So there you have it, I ended 2020 with another 8 empties in November and another 7 items in December, but what different did that make to my overall 2020 total...

January - 4 Items

February - 3 Items

March - 4 Items

April - 8 Items

May - 5 Items

June - 9 Items

July - 8 Items

August - 5 Items

September - 8 Items

October - 6 Items

November - 8 Items

December - 7 Items

2020 Total - 75 Items

Well, against all the odds, in 2020 I managed to finish a grand total of 75 items! I know! I couldn't quite believe it myself! I mean I didn't go on holiday, I didn't get dressed up at all and I barely wore any make up, but some how I managed to finish 8 more products than I did in 2019, and I managed to achieve my best finish since 2016!

I'm still now quite sure how it happened really, was it down to an increase in self care? or was it down to really concentrating on finishing all of those half finished products? Whatever the reason, I'm really just really pleased with just how many products that I managed to finish in 2020. I certainly bought less and I can really see the spaces starting to appear in my cupboards and drawers.

It goes without saying that I will be continuing to trim my stash in 2020, and my plan again is to buy less and use more, and again my focus is to try and finish a few more make up items, lockdown or no lockdown.

My January empties update should be up in the next week or so but in the meantime you can keep track of my progress in the sidebar x As per usual please let me know if you have any questions on any of the items in this all be it very long post, and don't forget to let me know if you're doing something similar in 2021. Thanks for reading and I will see you soon with another post x 

*This Post Contains Added Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Trimming My Stash - February 2018 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

"March Comes In Like A Lion, And Goes Out Like A Lamb"

I must admit I love old saying and proverbs like this and if the last few days are anything to go by then hopefully things can only get better weather wise, from here on it. With Storm Emma and the Beast From The East the last few days in the UK have pretty much blurred into one, thanks to a windy and snowy viewpoint - I mean isn't it supposed to be Spring by now? Never mind we've officially said goodbye to February and since it was another pretty useless month for me I'm more then happy to turn over the page of the calendar and hopefully move on to brighter weather and better things.

Before that we need to take a quick look back into the depths of February and have a little peek at my February beauty empties.

Gatineau Floracil Gentle Eye Make Up Remover - 400ml
The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Body Butter - 200ml
The Body Shop Spiced Apple Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 300g
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer - Coconut Breeze - 40ml
Prada Candy Florale Eau De Toilette -50ml
Erno Laszlo Firm And Lift Firmarine Hydrogel Mask - 1 x Mask - 25g

Total - 6 Items 

Considering February is the shortest month of the year, I have to say that I am pretty pleased with myself for finishing 6 whole, beauty products. It goes without saying that I would liked to have finished a few more but since I managed to finish a nice combination of body, hair, and skin products I'm going to give myself a pat on the back. No make up again, unfortunately, so that's something that I need to work on, but I did manage to finish a bottle of perfume, for the first time in goodness knows how long, so I'm counting February as a win, at least when it comes to Trimming My Stash, anyways.

1. Gatineau Floracil Gentle Eye Make Up Remover - 400ml

Whilst I don't consider myself a typical Gatineau customer, (anti-ageing isn't my biggest skin concern) - I am slightly in love with two of their products, their tan accelerator and this eye make up remover. It isn't the most budget friendly product on the market but it works, it takes every scrap of eye make up off, it smells nice and it doesn't sting or irritate my increasingly sensitive eyes. I would buy this product again and again but and here is the big but, this particular formulation has been discontinued!

It always, always worries me when this happens, especially with eye make up remover, in fact I'm still bitter about the whole Boots Botanics revamp! but fingers crossed that one of the two new eye make up removers that Gatineau have introduced will work as well as this one did for me. It's a pricey gamble admittedly but thanks to a recent QVC UK TILI Box (you can watch my unboxing here) I do have a bottle of the new Floracil Plus Gentle Eye Make Up Remover to try so here's hoping that it does the business. My old, old fall back is Lancome Bi-Facil but I always on the look out for a more budget friendly option so if you can recommend an eye make up remover for sensitive eyes then let me know x

2. The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Body Butter - 200ml

Like most bloggers I'm probably guilty of using the phrase "love" and "holy grail" way too often, but in this case it's justified. The Body Shop Body Butters really are one of my holy grail products for when my skin is at it's driest, I swear by them for saving sun ravaged skin in the summer and it goes without saying that a must have in the winter months.

I've bought so many over the years that I've lost count of all of the scents and the formulations that I've tried but I particularly love their festive and Christmas scents. Alas this one has been AWOL for the last few years now but it's one of my all time favourites. It's sweet, and fruity and at the same time slightly tart, and despite being a "festive" fragrance, I'm a fruity fan and it's definitely something that I would use all year round. I'm really hoping that The Body Shop will bring this fragrance back at some point but in the meantime I'm really enjoy their Frosted Berries scent.

3. The Body Shop Spiced Apple Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 300g

Another festive product from The Body Shop, and another product that I'm going to use the word LOVE about! Again this scent wasn't brought back for Christmas 2017, but as always if I love a scent enough I'll stock up! I've loved both of festive apple scents that The Body Shop have released over the past few years but this one in particular just screams Christmas and baking! Spiced Apple reminds me of hot spiced apple juice (Costa Coffee Anyone?), apple pie and cinnamon rolls. It has a sweet yet tart apple scent, combined with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and all of the spices that you would associate with Christmas. I love the scent and I love sugar based body scrubs so this one was always going to be a winner. It was nice and gritty, but it contained enough scented oils, to leave the skin both exfoliated, and moisturised, and did I mention that it smelled amazing? A winner and I'm sorry to see this one go.

4. Philip Kingsley Elasticizer - Coconut Breeze - 40ml

I've talked about this product a few times already both on the blog and on my You Tube channel, and I'm sorry but it's another product love in! I feel as though I need to keep talking about because it really has made such a difference to my hair, and it is without a doubt one of the best hair products that I've used. I know some people don't get the hype around this product but if your hair is crap, damaged, and dry then please try this product! Originally invented for the icon that is Audrey Hepburn, this pre-wash conditioner has made my hair feel like hair again, it's not only softer, and smoother, but it feels stronger and more resilient.

This is one of the limited edition scented versions and it's a product that I received in the Third Edition of the QVC UK TILI Box (see my unboxing here). Coconut Breeze is the perfect summer scent, I'm not always the biggest fan of coconut based scents but this wasn't just pure coconut, it was a warm summery mix of coconut, almond, vanilla and jasmine. You can still get your hands on this version in the larger size, but if this one isn't to your taste you can still get the original fragrance free Elasticizer, and both the Geranium and Neroli, and the Elderflower and Rhubarb fragranced varieties. Which ever scent you choose just try it! I honestly can't recommend this stuff highly enough x


5. Prada Candy Florale Eau De Toilette -50ml

It's that word again love, well after all February was the month of love so it makes sense I guess that I finished so many products that I really do love. I love perfume anyway and even if I'm having a drab t-shirt and leggings day, like today, then I'll still apply a few squirts of fragrance. I love to smell clean and fragrant, what can I say that's my thing and this is one of my favourite fragrances.

I have a lot of fragrances in my collection but this is one that I just keep coming back to, the original Prada Candy was just way too sweet for me, I like sweetness in a fragrance but I don't like anything too sickly, and Prada Candy Florale has a gorgeous floral note that just knocks the edge off the sweetness of the original.

I'm useless at describing scents but according to all of the descriptions ;) Candy Florale features top notes of limoncello, with the floral scent of peonies at its heart before damping down to a sweeter, warmer base of caramel, benzoin and musk.

Whatever, lol all I know is that I like it a lot! Thankfully I have another bottle and a roller ball in back up but it's a fragrance that I will continue to purchase and ask for.

6. Erno Laszlo Firm And Lift Firmarine Hydrogel Mask - 1 x Mask - 25g

Finally, another skincare product and this was another product that I acquired via the QVC UK TILI Box (Have a watch of my unboxing here), and this is another product with an Audrey Hepburn connection. Dr Erno Laszlo was a dermatologist and skincare specialist who could count both Ms Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe amongst his clients. Although he passed away in 1973 his high end skincare line and his philosophy still carries on to this day.

After recently trying and loving a hydrogel mask from another brand I couldn't resist giving this one a go after I rediscovered it whilst tidying out my skin care drawer and it was another winner. Basically hydrogel masks are like a pumped up sheet mask. In this case you got a two piece face fabric / paper type sheet mask which is covered with a thick gel like layer, which in this case is infused with essential oils and botanicals including argan oil, and grapefruit extract. Simply pop it onto your face and sit back and relax and let it do it's thing.

This mask is designed to help firm, tone and improve the appearance of fine line, and the elasticity of the skin, and for me it certainly did that. Where are the previous hydrogel mask that I used was all about moisture, this one definitely left my skin feeling cool and soothed but at the same time, tighter and more toned.

Masks like this are a real treat, they are easy to use, there is no mess and you can usually see a result of some sort in less than 30 minutes. I'm definitely going to look into trying some more hydrogel masks in the future, and whilst I did really like this one it is pretty price prohibitive at around £50 for four masks so I probably won't be repurchasing. If you want to treat yourself though you can find this Erno Laszlo at various retailers including lookfantastic, Sephora, Harvey Nichols, Beauty Expert and Harrods.

So they were my February empties x  If you have any questions on any of the products that I've mentioned or on anything else that troubles you then please leave me a comment below, and don't forget to leave me your eye make up remover recommendations x

A Very Late May Beauty Favourites Video

I'm late again but I've just uploaded my May beauty favourites video and I'd love it you'd take a look, either by watching the video below or by clicking on this link.

Products Mentioned 

Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion For Face And Body 

Lavera Fine Loose Mineral Powder - Transparent*

(Read my review here x)

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate**

Kiehls Rare Earth Pore Minimizing Lotion

Flat Top Face Brushes - Various Ebay Sellers

Jewellery From Ebay Seller - MandyMax1971

I hope you enjoyed this video and / or you found it useful, If you did please subscribe and if you have any questions on anything that I talked about then please leave me a comment x Thanks for reading and hopefully watching x 

*Press Sample

**On Counter Sample 

A Huge High End Beauty Haul Featuring Benefit, Clinique And More

To say that this post has been a long time coming is an understatement, I've been planning this post since May! Basically what it is, is a huge collective, high end beauty haul. I started off buying a couple of things way back in May and June with my birthday money, but I never managed to get a haul up, so as the month's have gone by I've bought more and more things, till I decided that enough is enough and I need to pull my finger out and get a post and a video up :) So grab a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy the pretties x

The majority of this haul comes from one of my brands of the moment, Benefit. I already had quite a few Benefit products in my collection but after having a Benefit makeover at the Fenwick Beauty Week preview, I added a whole load more to my wishlist.

At the top of my list was Gimme Brow - a fibre filled gel that not only tames that brows but it also gives the illusion of thicker and fuller brows. I have a couple of bald patches after an over enthusiastic plucking session so I loved the natural effect that this gave, I went for the shade Light / Medium which was the one the MUA used on me.

I bought mine from QVC and it came in a kit with  a product I hadn't tried ,the High Brow Glow. This is a luminous brow lifting pencil. I love the look of the pencil and I can see myself using it under my brows to emphasise the arch and as an eye colour.

Something else that was used on me was the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow / Liner in No Pressure.

I'm a huge, huge fan of the creaseless cream shadows and I already have quite a few in my make up collection, my favourite by far is Skinny Jeans but No Pressure is something that I can see myself using a lot. It described as a rich fawn, and for me it's a dark, taupe, brown with just a hint of shimmer. Creaseless creams are the perfect product if you're in a rush or you're feeling a bit lazy, just smooth a little bit of product over your lid and blend out and you're done. You can also use them as a liner so you're really getting two products in one.

Although I normally buy a lot of my Benefit products in store and on counter I have placed a couple of orders on the Benefit website lately, mainly when they've had an free postage offer on or when they've had a good gift with purchase offer. I bought this shadow from their website and I also bought this.

Despite being in my late 30's I still have quite an oily skin particularly on my t-zone, my nose and my chin so this product automatically appealed. The Benefit The Porefessional License To Blot Instant Oil Blotting Stick, is basically a solid, twist up stick of the Porefessional Primer. Instead of using it underneath your make up you use it on top, to take down the shine, instead of using say a face powder. I haven't used this yet but I'll give you some feedback when I do.

As I say I only order from the Benefit website when they have an offer on and one of their most recent offers was a good one. With any purchase you got a free Benefit tote bag. I have to say I wasn't expecting much but this really surprised me. With a San Francisco design, little feet on the bottom and a hot pink lining, this bag is a really nice quality, and would make a fab beach bag. It's well worth subscribing to their newsletter to keep up to date with all of their offers and new releases.

Another benefit (haha) of ordering from the Benefit website is the free samples. You usually get two free samples with each order and with my two orders I got two samples of the Total Moisture Facial Cream, a sample of Puff Off and a sample of the They're Real Remover.

My next two Benefit purchases both came from ASOS thanks to a couple of discount codes :) The first kit that I got was the Operation Pore-Proof Mission Accomplished Pore Kit.

Two of my biggest skin care concerns are large pores and oiliness and that's what this kit claims to disguise. I love this kits from Benefit and they really give you an opportunity to try a few products at once without having to shell out for the full size. This kit contains a mini Dr Feelgood, a mini The Porefessional Primer, a mini the Porefessional Agent Zero Shine, and a brush, a mini License To Blot and a mini Shy Beam. At the moment this kit is the only way to buy Shy Beam, it's basically a matte highlighter, the concept is a bit strange but it does what it says it does. I will be reviewing this kit in the run up to Christmas because I think it will make a great gift especially for teenagers.

The final Benefit item that I'm going to show is also a mini kit and it's also something that I got from ASOS. During my makeover, I no only had the opportunity to try out some of the Benefit make up products but I also had the chance to try out some of their skin care products, and I have to say I was impressed. I think it was the light textures and the smell that impressed me the most - they all have the same gorgeous fresh, slightly fruity, floral scent, and they all have a sort of light gel / cream texture.

The little mini kit that I got from ASOS unfortunately isn't online anymore but it contained a mini Porefessional Primer, and two mini glass packaged, skincare products, the It's Potent Eye Cream and the Triple Performance Facial Emulsion. I'm probably going to be reviewing these in a future Sample Saturday post so stick around x

Although I've bought the odd item from Clinque, I would never consider them as one of my go to brands, but lately I've spent more and more time lusting after their products with the Chubby Sticks and these gorgeous Cheek Pops right at the top of my list.

How pretty are these blushers? I've wanted one of these for the longest time and now I have one in the shade Berry Pop - I haven't got heart to destroy the pretty pattern - Products are made to be used and not looked at though so one of these days I will get round to swatching it and no doubt I'll show you when I do.

My next Clinique purchase isn't as pretty to look at but over the last few months it's become a real staple in my make up routine, It's the Stay Matte Oil Free Make Up in the shade 2 Alabaster.

Way, way back in April I received a little Clinique sample pot in my goodie bad from the Intu Metro Centre Fashion Live Event, and straight after the event I went to the Clinique counter and got a sample of  foundation chosen for me by one of their make up artists,and this was it. The colour match is perfect and I love how long wearing it is on my oil prone skin. If you would like a review of this one let me but this is definitely a product that I would repurchase.

The last make up purchase in this haul comes from a brand that seems to have fell off my radar lately, MAC. Don't get me wrong I still rate the brand but they just don't seem as exciting or as innovative as they once did. The majority of their releases have all just been a bit samey, the one however was just a little bit different

MAC Cosmetics La Disko Dazzleshadow in Boom Boom Room is a beautiful burgundy shade which is shot through with emerald sparkles. It's a total bugger to photograph but it's one of those fab duo chromes that changes colour with every movement - it's beautiful!

I've tried to swatch this but it just won't show up in photographs :( I've also tried swatching it in the video at the end of this post but it still doesn't do it justice - this is a colour that you need to see in the flesh but move quickly if you're interested as this was a sparkle filled, limited edition.

Next up one my own personal obsessions - nail polish. As well as picking up a lovely hot pink Nails Inc polish in Notting Hill Gate with this months Glamour magazine, and a lovely bronze, gold Orly polish with ELLE (see my Instagram for pics) I've also picked up quite a few sparkly polishes lately including this OPI kit.

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This was the recent OPI Christmas Today's Special Value on QVC and I love it. There were two options Warm and Cool, and obviously I went for the cool option. The kit contains 4 full sized polishes from the new Holiday collection in sparkly blacks, blues and silvers, as well as a full sized Nail Envy, and a full sized Bubble Bath Nail Envy which is exclusive to QVC. It also contains a full sized Avoplex Hand Cream and some Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops. I will be featuring all of the colours in the run up to the festive season and I'll also be showing you the Bubble Bath Nail Envy and reviewing the Drip Dry Drops and the hand cream.

I've took full advantage of ASOS discount codes lately and something else that I got was something that I'd wanted for a very long time, Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Melange.

Melange is the most gorgeous colour, it's a dusky teal green, shot through with lots and lots of fine gold sparkle.

Again the pictures just don't do this polish justice, it's one of those colours that you need to see in the flesh and one that I can't wait to get on my nails.

Next up another purchase that was down to a discount code and this time it's from SpaceNK. I recently reviewed a few Bumble and Bumble products for you, and I loved them so much I couldn't resist repurchasing them especially with a discount. I just got the two minis - a mini Bb Hairdressers Invisible Oil Sulfate Free Shampoo and the Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Conditioner, and being Space NK I also got a few sample sachets from Wei, Caudalie and Goldfaden MD.

I think I've mentioned it once or twice but I'm a bit of a QVC aholic and I love nothing better than settling down in front of the TV and watching one of their beauty shows. I love how QVC embrace bloggers, You Tubers and social media and one of their most recent guests was the lovely Caroline Hirons. Caroline was modelling for the Pixi team who were demonstrating Pixi Glow Tonic. This stuff had been on my wishlist for the longest time so I took the plunge and ordered it, and  even though I've only been using it for a week or so, I have to say so far so good, my skin looks brighter and feels smoother already.

The final two items that I'm going to show probably highlight how overdue this post actually is, they're all about summer and they're all about the tan.

Okay I didn't strictly buy this St Tropez kit, but I did purchase a Red Magazine subscription to get it. The offer was well worth it, as well as a discount on the magazine, you also got a free St Tropez toiletry bag, a full 50ml size of the St Tropez Light / Medium Gradual Tan Everyday Dace Lotion, and a full 200ml size of the St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Tanning Lotion. I have to say I got this mainly for the in shower tanner but as of yet I haven't used it or the mini one I got free with a magazine. I'm a bit frightened of staining my mums new wet room but one of these days I'll bite the bullet and give it a go. Just a hint though I'm probably going to be cancelling my Red subscription, not because I don't like the magazine but because you don't get the cover mounted free gifts - grrr!

If you've made it this far, well done this haul has been pretty epic and at last you've made it to the final item and yes this was summer related too, a huge 400ml size of the Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion.

Ho Hum, I didn't get that much use out of this, this year, but with a two years once open shelf life hopefully I'll get some use out of it next year. It's basically a gorgeous anti-ageing body moisturiser that contains an ingredient that activates the melanin in your skin, allowing you to tan more quickly. 2015 was a fail for me when it came to sun exposure - I think I sat outside for one day! so here's hoping 2016 will be a little bit sunnier.

You've done it! You've made it to the end x Well done I hope you've enjoyed my rather epic 5 month long haul but if you haven't had your fill of my beauty buys then settle down and enjoy the accompanying epic video which you can find here or below x



Thanks for watching and if you have any questions or comments (keep them nice x) and I'll see you soon x